


Outward Bound

by DarkWiccan, Laragh



Series: Be Here With Me [3]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Camping, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Interlude, Summer, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-26 12:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13236105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkWiccan/pseuds/DarkWiccan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laragh/pseuds/Laragh
Summary: An unexpected heat wave hits Purgatory, and Nicole has an idea to escape. If only she can convince Waverly.





	1. Too Darn Hot

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: Scattered references to seasons one and two.
> 
> This is our third collaboration for this series. Please read the notes at the end for nifty info on how we wrote this scene :)
> 
>  
> 
> This Vignette is written in two parts. Part Two will post next week.

 

 

 

 

Nicole let out a final grunt as she hauled the dusty, tarp-covered, box out through the exterior storm-door leading into her house's cellar. She hoisted the container against her left hip and carried it around the building to her front porch, setting it down roughly on the second step. A plume of dust blossomed up into her face and she swatted it away with a grimy hand. She glanced at the state of her hands and groaned, pulling a bandana out of her back pocket and wiping them off. Nicole took a minute to catch her breath. The summer had brought an unexpectedly scorching heat wave, and even the minimal cover of her olive-green tank top and jean shorts felt too hot. She dragged her arm across her forehead, and let out a soft "phew". Hearing the familiar sound of Waverly's jeep rumbling up the long drive, she glanced over her shoulder with smile, and then pivoted on her heel to face the approaching vehicle. Nicole gave a quick wave of acknowledgement and then turned back to the box, beginning to tug the tarp aside to get at the contents.

 

Waverly parked the Jeep and jumped down from it. Her sequin crop top and bedazzled daisy dukes offered even less cover but her exposed skin was still shiny with a constant layer of sweat. She strode towards the house, eager to get into the air conditioning. She couldn't help but grin as she approached Nicole. "Your butt looks very squeezable in those," she said by way of a greeting.

 

Nicole laughed, her focus still on rooting through the box in front of her. "And here I am in a compromising position, I'm surprised you didn't--" it was at this point that she finally stood and turned back to Waverly, seeing her (and her outfit) clearly for the first time since she'd arrived. "...humina...wha... what was I saying?"

 

"You were saying you had yet to give me a kiss and you were planning to rectify it immediately," Waverly replied chirpily.

 

"Yep. That's exactly it." She wrapped her arms around Waverly and drew her up onto her tip-toes, placing an enthusiastic kiss on welcoming lips. She pulled back with a 'pop' and was pleased to see the glazed look in Waverly's eyes that hadn't been there before. "How was that?"

 

"That was almost perfect," Waverly murmured against Nicole's lips, "Better try again." She took Nicole's lips again in a soft embrace as her fingertips rested gently on Nicole's jaw.

 

The heat of the day was forgotten as a new, more pleasant, kind of warmth washed over her. Nicole's hands slid down, her palms scratching against bedazzle gems, and cupped Waverly's bottom, squeezing gently. "You had the right idea," she murmured against Waverly's lips, giggling a little.

 

Waverly's hands naturally found the curve of Nicole's butt, cupping her firmly. "I knew I loved summer for a reason."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "You're just happy to not have to sleep under four blankets, plus a bonus blankie, for a few weeks." She loosened her arms from around Waverly's torso and gave her bottom one final "love tap" before kissing her forehead and then turning back to the box on her porch.

 

Waverly was going to offer to help, but watching Nicole bend over proved to be a better use of her time. "I missed my bonus blanket last night."

 

Nicole chuckled and pulled a folded-up air mattress out of the box, set it aside, and continued rummaging. "I believe the last thing you said to me before we hung up last night was, and I quote, 'It's hot as balls, I'm going to sleep in the tub with a bag of ice.'" She shifted a few more things around and pulled out a small hand-operated air pump.

 

"Wynonna got there first." Waverly paused, watching Nicole and the odd items she was taking from the box, "Are you expecting a guest?"

 

"Oh... no," Nicole replied, standing up and facing her. "Bad news, Wave... my bedroom window AC unit quit last night. I was planning on sleeping on the porch tonight." She carded her fingers through her red hair and grimaced sheepishly. "Downside of living in a century-old house with no central heating and air, I guess." Nicole shrugged. She knew Waverly was only too familiar with the concept. The homestead had even fewer modern amenities than her ranch house.

 

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" Waverly exclaimed with a frustrated look on her face, "I gave Wynonna possession of the ice pack!" They'd fought over it to the point it had almost ripped and the town had been cleared out of anything that offered even a hint of cooling days ago.

 

"I know, I know," Nicole tried to soothe, raising her hands in surrender. Her mind raced for a solution. Her eyes dashed around the landscape trying to come up with an idea. Her forehead creased as she spied the barest hint of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. A light bulb went off. "You know... we don't have to stay in town the next few nights. I have enough PTO saved up that, if you can too, we could get out of here until the heat wave passes."

 

"Leave Purgatory?" Waverly asked slowly, her face slowly blooming into a smile, "We can leave Purgatory!”

 

"Yes, we can," Nicole beamed, her grin threatening the width of her face. "It's much cooler in the higher elevations, and seeing as how I just hauled up all of my camping equipment anyway... I'm sure that there must be a few sites still available. But I can check the website before we head up."

 

Waverly's arms fell from her chest. "I'm sorry what?" She must have misunderstood. There was no way Nicole was suggesting adding bugs and dirt to the impossible heat.

 

Nicole just looked at her blankly. After a notable delay, she snapped out of it. "Oh," she said, "sorry. This heat, I swear it's melting my brain. I was not thinking. I skipped right to the end of that conversation, didn't I?"

 

Waverly looked at Nicole with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. "I think you skipped to the end of the wrong conversation."

 

"So... you don't want to get out of Purgatory?" Nicole was confused. She could have sworn that Waverly had seemed excited at the notion.

 

"I do." Waverly clarified "It just sounded like you were suggesting we go camping. So clearly I was wrong." She looked at Nicole expectantly.

 

Nicole's mouth slowly curled into an 'O' shape. "Um," she pursed her lips. "I... sort of... was?" She watched her girlfriend carefully, as though she were a coiled spring under pressure. "Because camping is... fun?" Somehow, and Nicole will never know how, because **she** certainly hadn't given her brain the order, her arms lifted and she made a 'jazz-hands' motion after the word 'fun'.

 

Waverly wanted to be horrified at the mere thought, but instead found her hand lifting to her mouth to conceal a snort. Unsuccessfully.

 

Exhaling an extensive breath of relief, Nicole dropped her arms and felt her body relax. "So, I take it, camping is not something you're a fan of, typically?"

 

"Well...I've never **actually** gone," Waverly admitted, "Except for the time we put a tent up in the backyard, but Wynonna and Willa ran inside and left me alone." She rolled her eyes at the memory and that it still stung a little.

 

Nicole's eyes went wide and she couldn't stop the smile that grew on her face. "You've never been camping? Oh, baby, I know it's not everybody’s thing, but I guarantee you that - done right - it is the **most** fun." She placed her hands on Waverly's hips and pulled her close again. "And there is no way I'd leave you alone in our tent. If you want me out, you'll have to kick me out."

 

Waverly's eyes glanced at Nicole's breasts - hey, they were right in her eyeline and very much **there** in that tank top - and then up at Nicole's face. "So it would just be the two of us...alone...in a little tent?"

 

Nicole smirked. "Mm-hmm," she hummed. "Although my tent isn't exactly 'little'. Technically, it's meant to sleep four. You could probably stand up in it without ducking."

 

Waverly's palms pressed flat against Nicole's collarbone. "Appeal to your audience, Nicole."

 

"Well, in that case," said Nicole, swaying them slightly, "I'm fairly sure Burl's Surplus has a few pup tents in stock. We'd have to squeeze in to fit, but I'm sure we'd make it work... somehow."

 

Waverly pressed a kiss into Nicole's neck. "I like it when we squeeze." she whispered under Nicole's ear, **almost** imperceptibly pressing her hips inwards.

 

Nicole's knees buckled slightly. "Did I mention how cool it gets in the mountains? Or the best way to keep warm?" Even in the sweltering heat of the valley, the idea of 'keeping warm' with her girlfriend raised goosebumps on her flesh. "It involves very. little. clothing." She punctuated each word with a kiss. First to one ear, then Waverly’s lips, and then the other ear, ending on a husky breath.

 

"Not all heat is unbearable," Waverly replied with a blossoming grin that would look innocent to anyone but Nicole, "Sometimes it's nice to burn." She kissed Nicole again, her fingers curling around the straps of Nicole's tank top to hold herself up.

 

Nicole melted into the kiss, not even caring that Waverly was stretching the straps of her shirt irreparably. Pulling back to catch her breath, she watched, rapt, as a bead of sweat rolled down from Waverly’s neck to the cleft of her breasts. Nicole dropped her head back on her neck, eyes closed, and sighed. “Waverly, you’re trying to kill me, aren’t you.”

 

Waverly pressed another kiss to Nicole's neck, softer this time. "You survived a widow bite, you can't bail on me that easily," she whispered tenderly.

 

“Oh, I’m definitely not going anywhere,” Nicole replied with a smirk. “But you get to explain to Wynonna why we’re both in the hospital due to sex-induced heat-stroke.”

 

"We could not tell her?" Waverly suggested with a perky smile.

 

“Or, we could load up the Jeep with my gear, swing by the homestead to grab a few things, gas up at the Ultramar and head for cooler climes?”

 

Waverly dropped her forehead against Nicole's chest. "I'm either crazy from the heat or crazy in love that I'm agreeing to this."

 

“How about a wacky combination of both,” Nicole offered. “C’mon,” she continued, stepping back and grasping Waverly’s hand, pulling her up onto the porch. “You can sit in front of the open fridge and drink an ice water while I throw some clothes in my duffel and grab my guitar.”

 

Waverly grinned. "Did you say ice?"

 

“I did,” she confirmed, “trays of it. Made it myself.” She pretended to grow wistful over the memory. “Yep. Held the containers under the faucet and everything. You might say it’s,” she waggled her eyebrows, “Haught Ice.”

 

Waverly tried to suppress a grin. "Definitely crazy if I'm laughing at that."

 

Nicole giggled and opened her front door, taking a step in. She was instantly hit with a wall of heat and humidity that felt like walking into a hot damp wool blanket. “Ugh,” she frowned. “Waves maybe you should wait out here. It’s awful inside. I’ll be as fast as I can.” She dropped Waverly’s hand and, quick as she could stand it, dashed upstairs.

 

Waverly decided she couldn't just sit back and let Nicole do all the legwork, so braved the heat and ascended the stairs. The thickness of the hot air made her cough. "It feels like walking through a fire."

 

“You’re telling me,” agreed Nicole, throwing open her closet door and grabbing her duffel down from the shelf above the hanger bar. She crossed over to her dresser, opened each of the drawers in turn and pulled out several changes of clothes, chucking them into the soft bag without ceremony. Nicole then walked over to her bedside table and pulled the drawer out, picking up her small mag-lite, her Leatherman multi-tool, and the key to her gun-safe. “My hiking boots are downstairs,” she said, turning for the door, “let’s get out of here.”

 

Waverly watched Nicole pack in amusement "You're like a girl scout."

 

“Girl Guide, actually,” Nicole grinned, urging Waverly back into the hall and toward the stairs.

 

"Oh I'm very sorry, Girl **Guide**." Waverly replied in amusement. "You look like a pro."

 

“Earned my Cord and made it to Ranger,” she bragged, not caring how nerdy she probably sounded. They hoofed it down the stairs and back into the living room. Nicole bee-lined to the closet at the foot of the stairs and opened the door, startling slightly at the loud meow that greeted her. “Calam! What are you doing in here, sweetie? Talk about heat stroke!” She picked the hot, annoyed, cat up and turned to hand her to Waverly. “Baby, can you take her to the kitchen? Just turn the faucet on, she’ll stick her head under it.”

 

Waverly took the cat cautiously. "Are you sure? We had a cat when I was a kid and it would scratch your face off if it got a drop of water on it."

 

“Trust me, you don’t have to do a thing other than set her nearby and turn the water on, she’ll do the rest.” Nicole unlocked her gun-safe and pulled out her Glock 26 (aka ‘sock gun’) and holster. She checked the magazine and grabbed one extra, out of habit. Closing the safe and relocking it, she glanced at the coats hanging above and grabbed her duck-cloth Dickies jacket. It might be hotter than hell in Purgatory, but it was likely to drop below 4 degrees Celsius overnight up in the mountains.

 

"Okay, come on Janey. Please don't scratch your Auntie Waverly." Waverly set the cat down a good foot away from the faucet and turned it on.

 

Nicole walked over to check on her girlfriend and cat and was pleased to see Calamity Jane sitting in the sink basin letting the water cascade over the top over her head while she licked at the drops running down her fuzzy cheeks. “See?” she grinned, and then turned thoughtful. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.” Nicole looked at Waverly, the picture of innocence. “You want to take a cool shower before we leave?”

 

Waverly arched an eyebrow.

 

“What?”

 

"I'm just wondering why it's taking us so long."

 

Nicole’s eyes dashed back and forth. “To...leave?”

 

"This room."

 

“Oh,” said Nicole. “Well, we can go. We should probably take Calamity, though, and board her at the vet. They have AC.”

 

"Man, I thought I'd gotten better at flirting with girls," Waverly whispered to herself.

 

Nicole squinted at her. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

 

"Nothing." Waverly replied with an awkward chuckle, "Boarding Calamity you say? I'll get her carrier." She rushed upstairs to get away from the awkward tension and promptly realized she had no idea where the carrier was. She went to the top of the stairs. "Uh...Nicole? Where, um, is it?"

 

“I was about to tell you,” Nicole called after her, “her carrier is down here.” She set her armful of things onto the couch and walked back over to the still open closet, grabbing the soft sided carrier from the floor.

 

"Crap." Waverly whispered to herself, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. She tried to stride down the stairs as if she didn't want Peacemaker to open the ground and pull her down to hell. As she stepped off the last step, unsure how to play the raging ball of awkwardness she felt emanating from herself, she reverted to her old classic smile and wave. She hoped it distracted from the rest of body screaming with embarrassment.

 

Nicole looked up at her, her brow furrowing in concern. “You’re really flush, babe. Maybe we **should** take that shower.”

 

Waverly's eyes widened. She wasn't going to fuck this up again. "Maybe you should follow me." She took a backwards step up a stair.

 

“Sure,” Nicole replied easily, following up the stairs.

 

Okay, Waverly mused, staircase seductress hadn't worked but there was still time to turn this around. It was that burgeoning thought that caught in her mind and ultimately caught in her foot as she missed the top step and went tumbling over it and across the wooden flooring.

 

“Baby!” Nicole cried out in alarm, taking the remaining stairs two at a time, ending at the landing, hovering over her girlfriend’s body splayed across the floor. She visually checked for injuries. “Are you ok?”

 

Waverly's cheeks flamed as she twisted her body back into a standing position. "Today is not my day." she breathed, barely audible.

 

Nicole rubbed her hands up and down Waverly’s arms. “I think the heat is frying our brains,” she said, “let’s cool off.” She took Waverly’s hand and led her to the bathroom.

 

Waverly decided not to trust her mouth and stayed entirely quiet

 

Nicole wasted no time kicking off her shoes and toeing off her socks. She flipped the shower on with a deft flick of her wrist and proceeded to remove her tank top and unbutton her shorts - completely unaware of the effect she was having on Waverly. “You know,” she said, “for a second I was worried you might’ve thought I’d proposed this shower as a come on. But, honestly, I’m just desperate to cool off. Funny, right?” She unhooked her bra and turned to face her girlfriend.

 

Waverly's neck strained to keep her gaze upwards. "Ha-ha," she laughed, hoping the sound would mask the thump of her erratic heartbeat, "So funny."

 

Cocking her head to the side, Nicole asked, “Are you sure you’re ok, Wave? You can look you know. Nothing you haven’t seen before... and often.” She chuckled as she dropped trou and kicked her shorts to the side.

 

Darn it, why did Waverly find that chuckle so damn hot? "I do look... and often."

 

Nicole divested herself of her panties. “I know,” she smiled, stepping into Waverly’s space and tracing her fingers along her shoulders. “And it does wonders for my ego.” She gazed at Waverly seriously. “And you have far too many clothes on for what we’re about to do.” Her voice dropped and her eyes flashed. Maybe she had been keen to Waverly’s thoughts after all.

 

Waverly's chin tilted upwards. "I think I might need...a hand."

 

“Is that right?” Nicole replied, her fingers sliding under the bottom hem of Waverly’s cropped tank top.

 

Waverly felt Nicole's fingers brush the underside of her breast and her arms immediately lifted above her head in surrender.

 

“My, aren’t we eager,” Nicole laughed, pulling the top off over Waverly’s head. “Always wanting me to help you take your top off, starting from the day we met. Good thing I’m a girl otherwise this would be really awkward.” She winked at her.

 

Waverly blushed all over again. Nicole's confidence had always been such a turn on, even when she was being a pain in the ass. "Now who's making fun?

 

“Not making fun,” said Nicole, leaning in to reach around and undo Waverly’s bra, and dragging the straps down her arms. “Just reminiscing.”

 

Waverly glanced down at her bra falling off. "This only happened in your dreams the first time."

 

Nicole giggled at the back of her throat. “A lot of things happened in my dreams,” she husked, unbuttoning Waverly’s shorts and working the zipper down. “This was just the tip of the iceberg.”

 

Waverly knew her panties were wet and that Nicole would be able to feel it in a second. "You weren't the only dreamer."

 

Nicole’s face pulled into a mischievous grin. She slipped her fingers underneath the edge of Waverly’s panties at the top of her bottom and slid her hands downward, peeling the material off as she went. The soft, light-pink, cotton covering fell to the floor; loose at Waverly’s feet. “Let’s make another dream come true then.” She took Waverly’s hands and stepped backward, leading her toward the running shower.

 

 

 

 

***


	2. Bear With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole have left the heat of Purgatory behind for the cool of the mountain tops. But will the girls regret their decision?

 

 

 

Waverly regarded all of the equipment in the open trunk with some hesitancy. "I'm guessing they don't have a bellboy service here."

 

Nicole chuckled and reached past her, grabbing the cooler and lifting it out with slight effort. "'Fraid not. We just have to service ourselves." Her brow furrowed at the word choice. "Wait...." She blushed. "I'll just set this over here," she continued, swiftly walking the cooler over to the campsite's picnic table.

 

"What can I do?" Waverly asked after a moment's pause, lingering between Nicole and the car. She wanted to help but she also wanted to watch Nicole bend some more.

 

"If you could grab the box with the gear and set it over on in the clearing there it would be great," Nicole replied, opening the cooler and pulling out two bottles of water. "I'll grab the rope and start setting up the bear bag."

 

"The...the bear bag?" Waverly asked with a stumble in her words.

 

"Uh-huh," answered Nicole absently as she handed Waverly one of the waters and started to root around the back-gate of the Jeep. "To tie our food up overnight so the bears don't get it." She was perfectly calm, almost sounding as though this sort of thing was "normal" and "expected".

 

Waverly paled. "There's bears? The...big, eat-your-face kind?"

 

Nicole made a soft "ah-ha" and stood up, holding the rope in her hands. "This is a forest, Wave," she said, matter-of-factly. "But, it's extremely unlikely that we'll see any bears. Even so, better to be prepared."

 

"You know you really sold this a lot better before." Waverly said cautiously as she carried the box over and rooted inside like some magical bear repellent might appear.

 

Walking back over to the picnic table, Nicole started uncoiling the rope and laying it out on the table. She glanced at the tree overhead and judged one of the lower branches ideal. "I promise you, baby, we are perfectly safe." She looped a length of rope loosely around her hand and then hurled it up into the tree, where it arced gracefully over the targeted limb and fell back to earth. "Once we have everything set up, I promise, you won't worry about a thing."

 

Waverly watched as Nicole's arm muscles flexed as she weaved the rope around. "A bear can't be as bad the spiders." She placed her palm on Nicole's upper arm, feeling the muscles twitch from exertion.

 

"What spiders," asked Nicole as she expertly wove the rope around and under the cooler, prepping it to be hoisted in to the air.

 

"Let's leave the demon talk for home, hmm?" Waverly suggested. "Need some help?"

 

"Do you know how to tie a bowline knot?"

 

"I'm a quick study,"

 

"Have you ever seen Jaws?"

 

"Willa let me watch it when I was 5."

 

"Great!" smiled Nicole, "do you remember the scene where Quint is teaching Brody how to tie a bowline?"

 

Waverly's eyebrow softly arched. "You get that it was a traumatizing event 17 years ago, right?"

 

Nicole was conciliatory enough to appear remorseful. "Oh," she winced. "Sorry, baby." She waited a beat and then continued. "So, the only reason I was referencing that movie is because they explain how to tie one." She held the end of the rope up next to the line that was running into the tree. "The easiest way to tie a bowline is by telling a story." She grabbed the line running up to the branch and created a loop in it. "This is the rabbit's hole," she said. "The rabbit," she went on, "comes out of the hole." She pushed the end of the rope up through the loop. "Runs around the tree," she demonstrated, wrapping the rope around the vertical line, "and then goes back into his hole." She dropped the end of the rope back through the open loop. She tugged on the end of the rope and the knot pulled tight. "See?"

 

Waverly smiled. "That's how Wynonna taught me to tie my shoes."

 

“Really,” grinned Nicole, her eyes shining.

 

Waverly blushed. "Let me try." She attempted the knot and pulled it taut with her strong arm muscles.

 

Nicole beamed. “Good work, baby!” She grabbed the still-loose length of rope dangling from the tree branch and walked it over to the hearty trunk. “Help me hoist this up a little? We won’t pull it up really high until we head to bed for the night.”

 

Waverly tried to stand behind Nicole to help her hoist but it became apparently quickly their respective heights didn't allow for this at all. "I guess I'll never be able to teach you how to swing a golf club."

 

Laughing, Nicole guided Waverly in front of her and passed the rope into her hands. “Let’s try it this way.”

 

Waverly tugged on the rope, feeling the abrasive material roughen up the skin of her palms. "If I'm destined to forever be the little spoon, I can at least be a badass one."

 

“You’re definitely the most badass little spoon,” remarked Nicole, giving Waverly’s butt a playful swat.

 

Waverly grinned. "How's my hoisting?"

 

Nicole watched avidly as her girlfriend pulled the rope, hand-over-hand, her muscles flexing in the speckled light of the sun filtering down through the canopy of the tree. "Perfect form," she complimented, her voice warm. "You're a natural."

 

"I've been told that before." Waverly winked.

 

"Not too high," smiled Nicole. "We still need to be able to reach to get into it." She looped the excess rope around the tree trunk and prepared to secure it.

 

"Is this good?"

 

Nicole looked at the suspended cooler, and back at Waverly. Doing some quick mental calculations she answered, "Um, maybe bring it back down about a foot."

 

"Is that so you don't have to be my personal butler all night?"

 

"I admit nothing," Nicole deadpanned as stone-faced as she could manage... which was 'not very'.

 

Waverly lowered the cooler to her height. "You have a lousy poker face baby."

 

Tying the end of the rope around the trunk with a timberline knot, she stepped back and dusted her hands against each other. "Yeah well, there's a reason I don't join you guys at Doc's poker nights." Nicole stepped over to Waverly and wrapped her arms around her, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. "Besides," she said, pulling back," maybe I like that you can read me so well."

 

Waverly crossed her hands behind Nicole's neck, playing with the curls there. "Oh you do, do you?"

 

"Mm-hm," she nodded, her hands resting on the rise of Waverly's hips. The pair swayed slightly.

 

Waverly stood up on her tip-toes and pecked Nicole's lips. "Good for me."

 

Nicole giggled and stepped away. "Come on," she said, "let's pitch the tent."

 

"Did you have to say it like that?" Waverly asked, pulling a face as she followed behind Nicole.

 

"Like wha-- oh," Nicole grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

 

Waverly just kissed Nicole's cheek.

 

Blushing, Nicole knelt down next to the box and started unloading the contents. She handed a long, nylon, bag to Waverly; the contents clacking inside. "Here, can you start putting the poles together? They're held together with an elastic cord running through the inside, so they snap together easy. I'll roll out the tent and get the corners staked down." She was quietly pleased that they hadn't managed to stop by the surplus store to buy a small pup tent. She much preferred her large Coleman. Nicole enjoyed roughing it, to a point; but comfort, where possible, was preferred.

 

Waverly huffed as she got onto her knees. "I can't believe technology hasn't made this easier in two decades."

 

Nicole exhaled, chuckling through her nose. Shaking her head, she carried the collapsed material that was the tent over to an open space and rolled it out. Stepping back to the box, she grabbed out the bag of stakes and a small rubber mallet. She worked methodically, pulling one stake out at a time, pushing it through the reinforced loops sewn into the edge of the tent at each corner and midway between each wall and them hammering it home into the dirt with the mallet.

 

Waverly sat back and wiped her hand across her brow. She watched as Nicole's tank clung to her and rode up exposing the small of her back. "Maybe it's not all bad."

 

Glancing over her shoulder at Waverly, Nicole smirked. "Enjoying the view?"

 

Waverly just angled her head for a better look. "Always."

 

Nicole waggled her eyebrows and then went back to hammering.

 

Waverly scooched forward and placed her hand over Nicole's, running her fingers from Nicole's wrist and up to link their digits.

 

"Waves," Nicole half-whined.

 

"I'm just trying to help," Waverly offered 'innocently'.

 

"Uh-huh, yeah sure," Nicole teased. "You keep 'helping' like that and we won't get this tent up. And then we'll really give the bears show."

 

"I'm only touching your hand," Waverly replied, looking up through her eyelashes.

 

"You're doing more than that, and you know it," said Nicole, her voice laced with mirth and faked annoyance. "Pass me the poles?"

 

Waverly crawled the couple of feet on her hands and knees, definitely not totally wiggling her ass on purpose.

 

Nicole, making sure Waverly was still turned away, rolled her eyes dramatically. She didn't want to complain about whatever had put her girlfriend in such a libidinal mood, but they both had penchants toward single-mindedness. Nicole's singular focus was getting the tent - and the rest of their site - set up so that they could finally **get** to Waverly's singular focus. But it seemed that her tiny, apparently insatiable, girlfriend was of no mind to be patient.

 

Waverly really just liked to put on a show and okay, was maybe a little flattered that she could pull Nicole's attention so easily. She looked over her shoulder with a cocky grin that said all of that. "This them?" she asked, holding up the bag?

 

Nicole nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show at the fact that Waverly hadn't put the poles together. At the same time, she couldn't help appreciating that she could distract Waverly merely by performing some light manual labor. "Yep, give 'em here."

 

Waverly turned back around and sat cross-legged. "So how do we put them together?"

 

Feeling her lips tug to the side, and welcoming the opportunity to show off a little, Nicole reached into the bag and pulled out what appeared to be several narrow foot-long batons. Turning her body so that she wouldn't risk hitting Waverly during her demonstration, she grasped one of the batons firmly and then flicked her wrist outward, whip-like, causing the other small posts to fly out and then lock into a single long tent-pole thanks to the elastic band running up the center of them. She grinned at Waverly as if to say, 'ta-da'!

 

"Hey, we could use those when we train with Dolls."

 

Nicole felt herself deflate slightly. She'd been hoping for a reaction, but not that. "Sure, babe," she said, turning back to the tent and sliding the pole through the sleeve at the bottom right corner. It curved into an arc-shape as it made its way to the other side. "But maybe not **these** these. Unless... do you think he'd reimburse broken ones? It's not like you guys are being funded by Black Badge anymore..." She reached her hand out in a silent request for the next pole.

 

"Baby, I was joking. You know, those things that are sometimes accompanied with a laugh."

 

Feeling her cheeks turn rosy, Nicole replied, "Sorry." She shrugged casually, and then started to stalk purposefully toward her girlfriend. "I just really want to get this tent up. So that we can get the air mattress inflated... so that we can... you know... use it."

 

"Nicole Haught, you horny devil."

 

Saying nothing but allowing a smug expression to wash over her face, Nicole reached into the bag that Waverly was still holding and slowly pulled the remaining bundle of posts out. As she had before, she whipped the batons out to the side, snapping them into place with a loud 'CLACK-ACK-ACK'. Waverly jumped slightly at the motion and the sound, and Nicole couldn't deny the small bit of satisfaction it gave her. Because she could tell that Waverly's reaction was not borne out of fear, but lust. "Just following your lead," she breathed, walking to the left side of the tent, swinging her hips in a way she hoped was at least the slightest bit sexy.

 

It was Waverly's turn for her cheeks to turn pink. "Can we get this thing up quicker?"

 

I knew that would work, Nicole thought to herself, quietly victorious. "I'm almost done here," she said, working the pole up through the sleeve. "But the air mattress and pump are still in the box. You could get started on inflating it if you want."

 

Waverly crawled back over to the box and pulled out the wad of plastic. "Good warm-up," she muttered to herself as her arms started to pump the air in.

 

Finished with securing the tent poles, Nicole stood and took a step back, surveying the work. She nodded approvingly and did a quick circuit around the outside of the tent, checking for tears. Finding none, she hoofed it over to the jeep and grabbed out the sleeping bags, her duffel, and Waverly's backpack which was overstuffed and strained at the zippers. "How many clothes did you pack, Waves," she asked, carrying the load back over to the tent. She unzipped the front and set everything inside on the tarp-like floor.

 

"Clothes? Are you kidding? In this heat?"

 

Nicole eyebrows knit together. "Well... then... what all did you pack?"

 

"Stuff," Waverly replied breezily, unzipping her bag to show the contents. Out came many items; a first aid kit, towels, rubber boots, folding chair, insect repellant and finally, an axe, the same one that had come dangerously close to Nicole's neck once upon a time, "You know, camping stuff."

 

"How...," Nicole was agog. "How on **earth** did you fit all that stuff in one backpack? Are you Mary Poppins or something?"

 

"It just takes a little bit of planning. And as you know..."

 

"You really are 'practically perfect in every way'," Nicole smiled.

 

"I am not perfect," Waverly replied, resuming pumping the bed, "I have been known to be quite cranky on occasion and sometimes I'm just a total bitch." She pumped a little too harshly and inadvertently tugged the pump from the bed. "Monkey nuts." She dropped down to plug it up quickly lest all her work be lost.

 

"Didn't mean to hit a nerve," Nicole apologized, "I guess my attempt at cutesy pop-culture analogies failed." She watched Waverly plug up the mattress, and then reached down, tugging under Waverly's elbow so that she'd stand again. "You know, you're allowed to have bad days. You're allowed to not be a perpetual ball of sunshine and rainbows. Here with me, you don't have to be anything or anyone but you." Nicole kissed her nose.

 

Waverly leaned in and rested her head on Nicole's chest. "I'm safe with you."

 

Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly and squeezed gently. "Always."

 

"Even from bears."

 

"Even from bears," Nicole agreed with a nod.

 

Waverly tilted her head back so she could look up at Nicole. "You lied, you know." She pressed her hips into Nicole's. "I'm definitely not feeling...cooler...up here."

 

Nicole pressed her lips together in a thin line in an attempt to stifle the moan that threatened at the back of her throat. "Well...," she drifted off.

 

"Are you inviting me back to your tent?"

 

"Help me drag the air mattress inside," Nicole asked, her right eyebrow quirked.

 

Waverly glanced over to it. "It's still at half-mast." She grimaced. "Ooh, now I'm the one who needs to watch what she says."

 

"It was up a moment ago," Nicole said, and then groaned at the loop of double-entendres they'd fallen into. "Oh, one of posts popped out." She wandered over to the pole in question and re-secured it, pushing the roof of the tent back up into place. "All set."

 

Waverly grinned. "'All set'; is that what seduction has been reduced to now." She sauntered closer.

 

Nicole also sauntered toward Waverly... and then right passed her, grabbing the edge of the inflated mattress and dragging it to the unzipped opening of the tent. "Focus, Waves. Focus can be very seductive." She shoved the mattress through to the inside. "Unless you want rocks digging in to your back while I'm busy between your legs?" Miraculously, Nicole had managed to make her question sound almost innocent.

 

Waverly's ankles turned inwards as she tried to conceal her thighs desperately squeezing together to alleviate the thumping of her heartbeat between them. "H-How do you know I won't get between yours first?" She cursed the slight stutter, but really it was a win considering how foggy her mind had suddenly become

 

"I'm up for a little friendly competition," Nicole teased, lowering her voice.

 

Waverly took a step forward and gently yet purposefully placed her palm on Nicole's chest and pushed her backwards

 

Nicole giggled, and crouched, ducking her head as she stepped back into the tent. The heel of her boot caught on the edge of the mattress and she found herself falling back with a 'whump'. "Well, that was graceful," she joked, looking up at Waverly standing over her. "Hi..."

 

Waverly kneeled at the base of the mattress, smirking. "Looks like I won."

 

"I refuse to yield," Nicole countered, propping herself up on her elbows.

 

Waverly's hand was on Nicole's chest again, but this time there were two of them and they took a squeeze while they were there. "Stand down, Officer Haught."

 

Nicole leaned up into Waverly's touch. "What if I-" a sound outside the tent captured her attention. She glanced out through the still-open flaps and froze. "Waves." She said softly, her voice tense and eyes wide. "Waves," she said again, more firmly. "Bear."

 

"Ha, ha, Nicole, very funny. If you want to win that badly, fine." She threw herself down on the mattress provocatively.

 

"Sh!" Nicole hissed, her eyes trained on the animal outside. "Don't move. Don't make a sound." She shifted forward on the mattress, placing herself between Waverly and the tent opening.

 

Waverly shot up. "Are you shitting me Nicole? There's a freakin' bear out there?!" she hissed.

 

"Sh! Dammit, Waves!" Nicole whispered. She slowly reached down and drew her Glock from her ankle holster. She didn't intend to shoot the bear. But if she needed to scare it away, the loud noise of a gunshot might work. Rolling up on to her knee into a tactical position, she cradled the butt of her gun in her left hand to steady it. She kept her eye on the bear the entire time. It was a black bear, small, either a young male or possibly an adult female. It made its way around the campsite almost lazily, curiously sniffing and inspecting the area.

 

Waverly sneaked up, peering out with one eye and feeling her heart beat speed up again for a less pleasant reason. "Come camping, Waverly. It'll be cool and romantic, and you'll get a new experience, Waverly. Yeah, the experience of being eaten by a bear instead of eaten by my girlfriend!" she whispered, pressing her hands firmly against the ground to stop them shaking.

 

Nicole gave her an annoyed glance, but her expression softened when she saw how truly scared her girlfriend was. "It's ok," she said softly, "it's not interested in us." Yet, she thought to herself. Still, her priority was keeping Waverly calm, and the bear as far away as possible. She watched as it moseyed over to the tree where their cooler was tied up and tried not to gasp when it went up on its hind legs. It wasn't an act of aggression, merely an act of curiosity. Because they'd left the cooler hanging low, the bear was at eye-level with it. It pawed at the hardened rubber shell, causing it to sway on the rope-line. It bopped against the bear's nose, and the animal dropped back to all fours with a snort.

 

"It's going to get angry," Waverly whispered, her breathing growing ragged, "Can't it just take the food and go?? Yogi Bear did!"

 

Nicole let her left-hand drop from her gun and placed it on Waverly's hand, by her knee. "Waverly, look at me," she waited until hazel eyes turned toward her. "It's going to be okay. It's just curious. It'll move on in a minute. I promise."

 

Waverly puffed out a breath. "I knew I should have packed the bigger bag and brought my shotgun."

 

A small grin cracked on Nicole's face. "Look," she said, "it's leaving, see?" Sure enough, the bear, dissatisfied with what it had or had not found, was lumbering off into the woods from whence it had presumably come.

 

"What if it comes back? With its friends?"

 

"I doubt it," said Nicole. "But we can haul the cooler higher up into the tree and start a fire in the pit. That should keep it and its 'friends' away.'"

 

Waverly placed her hand on Nicole's upper arm. "This rugged, woman-of-nature, thing is really sexy you know."

 

Nicole re-holstered her gun. "Yeah?"

 

"Yes. But I'd prefer if you made me scream instead of the bears."

 

"Deal," smirked Nicole. "I'll just get a fire going, and then we can... be one with nature."

 

"I'm coming with you. I'll keep look out."

 

"Ok," said Nicole, standing and stepping out of the tent. She took a moment to look around, make certain the coast was definitely clear. Not seeing signs of a bear, singular or plural, she walked over to the Jeep and grabbed out the bundle of wood and firelighters they'd purchased at the Ranger's station. She carried them over to the fire pit and pulled out her multi-tool, flipping open the knife, and slicing through the cellophane wrapped around the wood.

 

Waverly wielded her axe and stood behind Nicole protectively, eyes darting to every corner

 

Nicole snorted, chuckling at her girlfriend’s antics. She quickly stacked a few logs and got the fire started. Then she strode over to the cooler, untying the line from the trunk, tugging on it to hoist the container higher into the air, and re-securing the rope. She turned back to Waverly, expectantly.

 

"Safe?" she asked cautiously.

 

“Safe,” Nicole replied with a nod.

 

Waverly set her axe down and straightened up, then immediately went wide-eyed and snapped it up again. "Can bears pick up axes?"

 

“No thumbs,” answered Nicole, wiggling hers for emphasis.

 

Waverly nodded once. "Right." She packed it away and zipped it back up in her bag anyway, just to give those thumb-less paws some extra obstacles.

 

Nicole strode over to her anxious girlfriend and rested her hands Waverly’s hips. “Hey,” she said softly, “I honestly believe the floor show, courtesy of Mother Nature, is over. But if you’re really nervous or uncomfortable we can pack all this up and head home. Or to the city. I’m sure we could find a hotel or something.” Nicole really didn’t want to give up on their outdoorsy adventure, but Waverly’s safety and comfort were her number one priority always.

 

Waverly felt Nicole's fingers brush against the skin right above the waistline of her shorts. "Well...a hotel bed is a **long** way away...and the tent bed is **right there**..." A smile graced her lips.

 

“You sure?”

 

"That you cause my libido to scream louder than my sense of personal safety? Yes, I've known that for a while."

 

Nicole’s laugh was very near the territory of a guffaw. “Waves,” she said, pulling herself back together, “I’m serious.”

 

"You said I'm safe with you." Waverly stood up on her toes to rest their foreheads together, "I trust you."

 

Brown eyes softened. “If only you knew how much that means to me, Wave.”

 

Waverly kissed Nicole's lips. "Probably somewhere in and around how much I love you."

 

“I love you, too,” Nicole sighed against her lips. She slid her hands up Waverly’s back and pulled her close.

 

Waverly kissed along Nicole's jaw and down to nuzzle into her neck.

 

Nicole pressed her cheek against the top of Waverly’s head, content to simply hold her for the moment. Soon enough their touches would turn more deliberate and sensual. Soon enough they’d answer their bodies’ call. But for now, the holding was enough. For now it was perfect.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! As noted at the top this vignette is the third of a series of collaborations Laragh and I have worked on together.
> 
> We used a theatrical improvisation technique to write these pieces and I think that it helped to create something really special. We'd log into a chatting application and literally write back and forth just like a real conversation, only we were "in character" the entire time, and also included descriptive elements just as you would when writing a standard fic.
> 
> The pieces we came up with started from mere suggestions such as "I wonder if Waverly worries about Nicole's past romantic experience" and went from there. Because we aren't planning beyond the initial idea and figuring on a location or activity, the result is a truly spontaneous conversation. Neither of us had any idea what the other was going to say/write and so the reactions and responses are genuine. We caught each other out and surprised each other constantly.
> 
> What you're reading is literally our chat logs copied and pasted into a word document, and then edited for grammar, punctuation, spelling and usage.
> 
> I (DW) always write for Nicole and Laragh always writes for Waverly. (We might change this up at some point, but these assignments have been working well for us so far).
> 
> We hope that you enjoy these little vignettes. We've purposefully created a backlog so that we will always have something ready to post weekly for quite some time.
> 
> Cheers!  
> DW & Laragh
> 
> Disclaimer: Waverly and Nicole and other characters borrowed from the television show Wynonna Earp are the property of their creators, and their affiliates, NBCUniversal, Syfy, Space and IDW Publishing. The characters may not belong to us, but this series does. Please don’t plagiarize.


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